Dortmund: Lu gets lucky break against Wagner, leads Women Masters

A huge missed chance for Wagner

Round two of the Women Masters tournament at the Dortmund Chess Festival saw Lu Miaoyi continue her perfect start, as the 15-year-old from China scored her second win in a row with the black pieces. With this result, Lu became the early sole leader of the four-player double round-robin event as the participants head into the first rest day.

After defeating Deimante Daulyte-Cornette on Sunday, Lu faced Dinara Wagner in round two. A sharp battle developed out of a Queen’s Indian Defence, and by the late middlegame, it was Wagner who had obtained a clearly superior position. Lu’s 31…Ra8 allowed White to break through with the powerful 32.Nxf7, a tactical shot which Wagner played confidently.

With eight moves to go before reaching the time control, both players were under pressure by their clocks, as they had a bit over five minutes left. Wagner followed up with two accurate moves and stood on the verge of converting her advantage. However, the one-move blunder 35.Bf6, instead of the immediate 35.Qd8+, gave Lu a golden opportunity.

Not only did the mistake allow Lu to escape, but it left her with a decisive advantage. Two moves later, Wagner resigned, as Black had emerged with an extra bishop in a stable position.

Dinara Wagner

The previous day, Lu had defeated Daulyte-Cornette in a game that was also full of tactical motifs. In that encounter, the French representative had rejected a chance to force a draw by perpetual check and entered a losing position, as Lu was perfectly placed to carry out a successful king hunt.

Meanwhile, the second game of round two ended in a draw. Elisabeth Paehtz, playing white, split the point with Daulyte-Cornette after 45 moves. With neither player able to create major imbalances, the game ended peacefully.

Deimante Daulyte-Cornette

These results leave Lu Miaoyi alone at the top of the standings with a perfect 2/2. Paehtz, who defeated Wagner in round one, is in clear second place on 1½ points. Daulyte-Cornette stands on ½ point, while Wagner remains at the bottom of the table with two losses from her first two games. The tournament will resume on Wednesday following Tuesday’s rest day.

Standings after round 2

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A-Open: Eight players start with 3/3

Following three rounds of play in the A-Open, eight players remain on a perfect 3/3 score. Five of these co-leaders are ranked within the tournament’s top ten seeds, including rating favourite Matthias Bluebaum, third seed Dennis Wagner and fifth seed Luis Engel, all representing Germany.

With 196 participants in the field, the standings remain tightly packed. A full 24 players are sharing second place on 2½ points, just half a point behind the leading group. The chasing pack includes four of the five remaining players from the tournament’s top ten in the starting rank, with the exception of German GM Roven Vogel. Vogel suffered an upset defeat in round two against FM Carl Strugnell (Germany) and was not paired in round three.

Among the co-leaders, Christian Gloeckler achieved a notable win in round three, defeating Swiss youngster Cristian Arsenie (born 2009) with the black pieces. The game emerged from a Sicilian Defence with opposite-side castling, and Gloeckler opted for an exchange sacrifice to create attacking chances. Arsenie reacted well and later returned the material to keep the position balanced. However, on move 38, the Swiss player blundered with 38.Bd4, targeting the black queen on b6.

This major tactical mistake allowed 38…Rxc2, which immediately won due to the combined threats of a discovered check and the now undefended bishop on d4.

After 39.Qxc2 Qxd4 (diagram) 40.Kc1 Qa1+, Arsenie resigned.

By opting for a fianchetto setup, you embrace unbalanced and strategically rich positions, steering away from predictable theory battles.
The Modern Defence (1…g6) is more than just a move – it’s a statement. By opting for a fianchetto setup, you embrace unbalanced and strategically rich positions, steering away from predictable theory battles. This approach allows Black to develop along the long diagonal, patiently targeting White’s strong centre instead of directly challenging it. If you‘re looking to play for a full point with Black, this opening is the perfect addition to your repertoire.
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Free video sample: King’s Indian Links 4.c4 e5 Firouzja vs Carlsen

Instead, the more cautious 38.Qc1 would have held the balance, since the rook on e2 would have prevented Black from safely capturing on c2.

The fourth round on Tuesday will feature increasingly tough pairings for the leaders. On board one, Matthias Bluebaum will play white against Chinese GM Xiao Tong (rating 2539).

Matthias Bluebaum defeated Hussain Besou with black in Monday’s third round

Standings after round 3

…196 players

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